The Miami New Times has released the letter MLB attorneys sent to federal prosecutors regarding Anthony Bosch's cooperation in the Biogenesis Scandal investigation. This letter is the reason Bosch will avoid a maximum prison sentence next month.
Bosch was supposed to be sentenced on December 18, but his lawyers asked the judge to push it back to February since the 51-year-old is still recovering in a rehabilitation center for drug abuse. He pleaded guilty to charges of illegally providing performance-enhancing drugs to professional and high school athletes back in October. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years, but he's likely to get two or three as a result of his cooperation in both the MLB and federal investigations.
The MLB wrote a 10-page letter to federal prosecutors back in January of 2014 that chronologically analyzed the onset of the Biogenesis Scandal and how Bosch cooperated with the league and avoided further trouble by ignoring the threats and requests put forth by associates of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. The three-time MVP was suspended for the entire 2014 season for his role in the PED scandal and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun was banned 65 games in 2013. 12 other offenders were given 50-game suspensions for their involvement as well.
According to the letter, an associate of Rodriguez's told Bosch that he would receive $20,000-$25,000 per month if he went to Colombia to "lay low" in the midst of the scandal. If he fulfilled the request, it was made known he would receive an additional $150,000 when all was said and done. He was asked to do this because, as the owner of Biogenesis of America, Bosch had dealt with his clients directly and it was only a matter of time before the MLB and federal investigators tracked down Bosch to arrest him and his accomplices to get all the information they needed. Bosch opted to cooperate in both investigations, but his role in the MLB investigation is expected to drastically reduce his prison time.
Bosch eventually handed over all pertinent documents relating to MLB players who took banned performance-enhancing substances. The league noted in the letter to federal prosecutors that "Bosch's cooperation with MLB came at a high personal cost," as Rodriguez's attorneys publicly attacked his character, of which all examples are enumerated.
Although Bosch was the reason for this entire scandal, without his cooperation the MLB would not have been able to take what seemed to have been one of their final steps in cleaning up baseball and handing down harsh punishments to performance-enhancing drug users.
Take a look at the letter below:
